The Prophet (ﷺ) said to me: "Recite to me

Islam > Hadiths > The noble qur an and qur anic sciences > The Noble Qur'an and Qur'anic Sciences

Hadith narrated by Agreed upon

Authenticity grade : Authentic

Updated on 24 September 2026 at 12:34 AM

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Hadith text: The Prophet (ﷺ) said to me: "Recite to me

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ رَضيَ اللهُ عنهُ قَالَ: قَالَ لِي النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «اقْرَأْ عَلَيَّ»، قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَأَقْرَأُ عَلَيْكَ، وَعَلَيْكَ أُنْزِلَ؟ قَالَ: «نَعَمْ» فَقَرَأْتُ سُورَةَ النِّسَاءِ حَتَّى أَتَيْتُ إِلَى هَذِهِ الآيَةِ: {فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جِئْنَا مِنْ كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ بِشَهِيدٍ، وَجِئْنَا بِكَ عَلَى هَؤُلاَءِ شَهِيدًا} [النساء: 41]، قَالَ: «حَسْبُكَ الآنَ» فَالْتَفَتُّ إِلَيْهِ، فَإِذَا عَيْنَاهُ تَذْرِفَانِ.

‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said to me: "Recite to me". I said: O Messenger of Allah, shall I recite to you while it has been revealed to you? He replied: "Yes." So I recited Surat an-Nisā’ until I reached this verse: {How will it be when We bring a witness from every community, and bring you [O Prophet] as a witness against these [people]?} [Surat an-Nisā’: 41] He said: "Enough for now." As I looked at him, I saw that his eyes were shedding tears.

Explanation of the hadith: The Prophet (ﷺ) said to me: "Recite to me

The Prophet (ﷺ) asked ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) to recite something from the Qur’an to him. Ibn Mas‘ūd said: O Messenger of Allah, how can I recite it to you when it was revealed to you? The Prophet (ﷺ) replied: Indeed, I love to hear it from others. So he recited to him from Surat an-Nisā’ and upon reaching the verse that reads: {How will it be when We bring a witness from every community, and bring you [O Prophet] as a witness against these [people]?} Meaning: What will be your condition-and that of your Ummah-when We bring you as a witness over your people, testifying that you conveyed to them your Lord's message?

At that point, the Prophet (ﷺ) said: Stop reading now. Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I turned to him, and his eyes were flowing with tears-out of awe for that scene and mercy for his Ummah.

Lessons: The Prophet (ﷺ) said to me: "Recite to me

Categories : Manners of Reading and Memorizing the Qur'an

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